Customizing prepaid service

• US 7,346,154 B1
• Filed: 09/01/2000
• Issued: 03/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Andersen, Michael, Andresen, Lars
• Primary Examiner(s): TAYLOR, BARRY W
• Application Number:
  US10/069,485
• Time in Patent Office: 2,755 Days
• Field of Search: 379/114.2, 379/114.01, 379/114.15, 379/114.17, 379/114.16, 379/114.28, 379/121.03, 379/144.01, 379/114.03, 379/131, 455/405, 455/406, 455/407, 455/408, 455/432.3
• US Class Current: 379/114.16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/90 using Intelligent Networks [IN] or Advanced Intelligent Networks [AIN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/00 Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems using a coded card to authorise calls from a telephone set H04M1/675
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/20 with provision for recharging the prepaid account or card, or for credit establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2017/2593 code management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0108 Customization according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. customer preferences, friends and family, selecting services or billing options, Personal Communication Systems [PCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/016 Billing using Intelligent Networks [IN] or Advanced Intelligent Networks [AIN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A method for customizing a prepaid service in a telecommunications system is presented. The method includes maintaining subscriber information on at least one prepaid subscriber, defining at least two different prepaid profiles, each prepaid profile defining at least one attribute for the prepaid service, the attribute indicating how the prepaid service is to be provided; associating the prepaid subscriber'"'"'s subscriber information with one of the at least two different prepaid profiles, and providing the prepaid service to the prepaid subscriber as indicated by the attribute defined in the one prepaid profile associated with the prepaid subscriber'"'"'s information. In other embodiments, there are provided a telecommunication system offering prepaid subscription services and a network element in a telecommunication system.

Claims

1. A network element comprising:

a processor configured to have access to at least two different prepaid profile definitions, each prepaid profile comprising at least one attribute for the prepaid service,

the attribute defining how prepaid service information relating to the attribute is to be updated during a recharge,

a first way defined in a first prepaid profile providing different updated information than a second way defined in a second prepaid profile with the same given values, and to have access to subscriber information on prepaid subscribers,

a prepaid subscriber'"'"'s subscriber information comprising prepaid service information and an indication of which one of the at least two different prepaid profiles is to be used with this subscriber, and to update, during a prepaid subscriber'"'"'s account recharge,

the prepaid service information in the prepaid subscriber'"'"'s subscriber information as defined by the attribute in the prepaid profile indicated by the prepaid subscriber'"'"'s subscriber information, the attribute not being selectable by means of recharge.

2. A network element comprising:

means for obtaining voucher information on a voucher in response to a prepaid subscriber recharging via the voucher;

means for obtaining at least two different non-subscriber-specific prepaid profile definitions, each prepaid profile comprising at least one attribute for the prepaid service, the attribute indicating how the prepaid service information relating to the attribute is to be updated with the voucher information during a recharge, a first way defined in a first prepaid profile providing different updated information than a second way defined in a second prepaid profile with the same given values;

means for obtaining subscriber information on prepaid subscribers, a prepaid subscriber'"'"'s subscriber information comprising prepaid service information and an indication of which one of the at least two different prepaid profiles is to be used; and

means for updating the subscriber information during the recharge according to a prepaid profile associated with the recharging prepaid subscriber'"'"'s subscriber information.

3. A method comprising:

maintaining subscriber information on at least one prepaid subscriber using a prepaid subscription,

maintaining voucher information on vouchers by means of which prepaid subscribers can recharge their accounts,

maintaining at least two different prepaid profile definitions to be used with prepaid subscriptions, each prepaid profile comprising at least one attribute for the prepaid service, one of the at least one attribute being an expiry function defining how to calculate the validity time of the prepaid credit, a first prepaid profile comprising a first way to calculate the validity time and a second prepaid profile comprising a second way to calculate the validity time, the second way being different from the first way;

associating the prepaid subscriber'"'"'s subscriber information with only one prepaid profile,

obtaining, in response to a prepaid subscriber performing a recharge of the prepaid subscriber'"'"'s account via a voucher, values of the voucher, the values including a credit period of the voucher,

calculating, in response to the recharge, the prepaid subscriber'"'"'s credit validity time according to the expiry function defined in the prepaid profile associated with the prepaid subscriber'"'"'s subscriber information, the expiry function using the obtained credit period of the voucher as an input.

4. A network element comprising a processor configured to:

have access to values of vouchers, the vouchers being usable for recharging prepaid accounts, the values including for each voucher a credit period of the voucher;

have access to at least two different prepaid profile definitions, each prepaid profile comprising at least an expiry function as an attribute for the prepaid service, the expiry function defining how to calculate a validity time of the prepaid credit during a recharge, a first way defined in a first prepaid profile providing different updated validity time than a second way defined in a second prepaid profile with the same given input;

have access to subscriber information on prepaid subscribers, a prepaid subscriber'"'"'s subscriber information comprising prepaid service information including credit validity time and an indication of which one of the at least two different prepaid profiles is to be used with this subscriber;

in response to a prepaid subscriber performing a recharge of the prepaid subscriber'"'"'s account via a voucher, to obtain values of the voucher including a credit period of the voucher; and

to calculate the prepaid subscriber'"'"'s updated credit validity time according to the expiry function defined in the prepaid profile indicated in the prepaid subscriber'"'"'s subscriber information, the expiry function using the obtained credit period of the voucher as an input.

5. A method, comprising:

maintaining at least two different prepaid profiles definitions, each prepaid profile comprising for the prepaid service at least one attribute defining how prepaid service information relating to the attribute is to be updated during recharge, a first way defined in a first prepaid profile providing different updated information than a second way defined in a second prepaid profile with the same given values;

maintaining subscriber information on a prepaid subscriber, the prepaid subscriber'"'"'s subscriber information comprising prepaid service information and an indication of which only one of the at least two different prepaid profiles is to be used with this subscriber; and

updating, in response to the prepaid subscriber recharging the prepaid subscriber'"'"'s account, the prepaid service information in the prepaid subscriber'"'"'s subscriber information as defined by the attribute in the prepaid profile indicated by the prepaid subscriber'"'"'s subscriber information.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising associating the prepaid subscriber'"'"'s subscriber information with one of the at least two different prepaid profiles during subscription provisioning.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising updating subscriber information during recharge as defined in the prepaid profile.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the attribute comprises deposit function defining how to calculate the credit during recharge from the amount added.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the attribute comprises an expiry function defining how to calculate the validity time of the prepaid credit.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the attribute comprises an expiry state handling function defining how the possibilities of a prepaid subscriber are limited over time when no recharge is carried out.

11. The method of claim 5, further comprising predefining the at least two different prepaid profiles in the telecommunication system before said at least one prepaid subscriber accesses the telecommunication system.

12. A telecommunications system, comprising:

at least one database having subscriber information on at least one prepaid subscriber, a prepaid subscriber'"'"'s subscriber information comprising subscriber-specifically maintained prepaid service information,

wherein the system is arranged to maintain at least two different prepaid profiles, each prepaid profile comprising at least one attribute for the prepaid service, the at least one attribute defining how prepaid service information relating to the attribute is to be updated during recharge,

a first way defined in a first prepaid profile providing different updated information than a second way defined in a second prepaid profile with the same given values;

wherein the system is arranged to indicate, in the prepaid subscriber'"'"'s subscriber information, which only one of the at least two different prepaid profiles is to be used; and

to update, in response to the prepaid subscriber recharging the prepaid subscriber'"'"'s account, the prepaid subscriber'"'"'s prepaid service information as indicated by the attribute defined in the prepaid profile indicated by the prepaid subscriber'"'"'s subscriber information.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one attribute comprises a deposit function and the system is further arranged to calculate a prepaid subscriber'"'"'s credit according to the deposit function defined in the one prepaid profile associated with the prepaid subscriber'"'"'s subscriber information.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the attribute comprises an expiry function and the system is further arranged to calculate a prepaid subscriber'"'"'s credit validity according to the expiry function defined in the one prepaid profile associated with the prepaid subscriber'"'"'s subscriber information.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the attribute comprises an expiry handling function and the system is further arranged to limit the possibilities of a prepaid subscriber over time according to the expiry handling function defined in the one prepaid profile associated with the prepaid subscriber'"'"'s subscriber information.

17. The network element of claim 13, wherein the attribute comprises a deposit function defining how to calculate the credit during recharge.

18. The network element of claim 13, wherein the attribute comprises an expiry function defining how to calculate the validity time of the prepaid credit.

19. The network element of claim 13, wherein the attribute comprises an expiry state handling function defining how the possibilities of a prepaid subscriber are limited over time when no recharge is carried out.

16. A network element comprising:

a database containing at least two different prepaid profile definitions, each prepaid profile comprising, for the prepaid service, at least one attribute definition defining how subscriber-specifically maintained prepaid service information relating to the attribute is to be updated in a corresponding subscriber information during recharge of a subscriber account;

a first way defined in a first prepaid profile providing different updated information than a second way defined in a second prepaid profile with the same given values, the prepaid profile definitions not being definitions for means of recharge.